SEABRIDGE, here as AF MICHELA for Adria Ferries © Frank Lose

Restart of Trabzon–Sochi RoPax route did not go as expected

FerryThe restart of the RoPax route between Trabzon in Turkey and Sochi in Russia turned out to be disappointing, when the service was reactivated on 5 November after a 14-year pause using the 1974-built RoPax SEABRIDGE. According to Turkish media, the ferry had 20 passengers on board, the majority of whom were Russian nationals.

When the vessel arrived in Sochi the following afternoon, it was denied entry to the port by the local authorities. After anchoring off the port while waiting for a bureaucratic clarification ashore, the ferry was forced to return to Trabzon on 8 November.

According to the online media Turkiye Today, the operator and owner of SEABRIDGE, the Turkish company Lider Group, stated that the captain had to return due to the vessel’s fuel levels. A spokesperson for Lider Group’s local port agent in Sochi told media that the reasons for the refusal by the local authorities remained unclear.

Reference was made, among other things, to the current security situation. However, while SEABRIDGE was anchored off Sochi, the Russian-operated cruise ship ASTORIA GRANDE arrived in Sochi following a completed voyage and disembarked 1,100 passengers as planned. According to Turkiye Today, Lider Group is now considering legal action against the Russian port following the denied call.

Nov 10 2025